To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress is being made on the implementation of resource management.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what further progress will be made with the resource management initiative in the coming financial year.

The resource management initiative was launched in November 1986.In March 1989 I announced the names of 50 hospitals starting resource management in 1989–90. I announced in December 1989 that 20 of those hospitals would invest in IT. The remaining 30 will invest substantially in IT in 1990–91. On 18 January I announced the names of 50 more hospitals which will implement the main resource management in 1990–91.Computerised training packages on diagnostic related groups (DRGs) and DRG group software have been issued to all acute hospitals and a cost allocation model to the 50 acute hospitals which started resource management this year. This model will be issued to all acute hospitals shortly.